After showing you my prop room last week, I think we can all say that I don’t NEED more stuff. But when it comes to vintage I still snag things I think I can use or that will liven up a room or shot. Everything is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But last weekend when I went to the Rose City Flea market in Portland I was seriously not planning on getting anything – I’m really trying to not keep accumulating for the sake of hoarding, but then as you can see below, I did. 🙂 It was no Rose Bowl but the serotonin flowed nevertheless and most of these pieces quickly found a place in our home and in a shot (NOT the prop room, I’m happy to report). A quick note about the prices – most of these pieces were on the spendy-er side, and if you are a big thrifter you are going to maybe think I overpaid – and probably I did. But after having my own online “flea” and having it end up not profitable at all, I have a lot of compassion for vintage dealers – it’s so much work for an unscalable business model. I think it’s safe to say that none of them went into it for the money – they all just love it and I want them to continue to do it!! I need them! I can’t really dedicate too much time to thrift shopping anymore, not because I’m over it but because it’s so much more work and time to find good stuff, especially when the antique malls in Portland are so good. There are more pickers competing than ever, and the thrift shops are mostly full of 5-year-old IKEA or Home Goods stuff (and I can’t believe what some thrift stores charge for home things – even more than they are new at the store!). So if I find something I love, that someone else spent hours sourcing, storing, transporting, wrapping, and unwrapping multiples times I really try to just pay for it without much haggling. But I also have a decent budget for home stuff (as it’s tied to work) and can write off anything that ends up in a reveal or on the blog – which yes, makes me very lucky. I’d just rather overpay on vintage than buy something new from a store that I might not keep forever. Again, I’m not saying that’s what you should do but if you are fortunate to have the extra money to spend – buying from local vintage dealers is the best way to go IMHO.
Sculpture (And Vase – Kinda)
This guy is so incredible, heavy, and oddly narrow – making it great to style on a mantel or even narrow bookshelves. It has a flower frog thing on top but I don’t think it’s meant to actually hold water (it doesn’t go all the way down). I’d more likely shove a weird sculptural branch into the frog. Excited about this on the mantel. It was spendy at $175 from @northwestmodern – a really awesome mid-century dealer. Zero regrets. It’s dope.
Drawer Box
As you know I have been collecting these store/apothecary drawer sets for a while now (mostly using them as side tables or nightstands). This guy was so cute but I couldn’t find a purpose for it…UNTIL I realized that I could use it in the pantry for all my teas!!!
It was expensive but I don’t remember how much because I got a lot from this dealer – I think it was between $150 – $250. Coming to a pantry near you soon – it looks SO SO CUTE.
Brass Floor Lamp
Now, this guy I got at the thrift store/consignment shop the next day (Hoot-n-Annie in Raleigh Hills for all you locals). It’s a Curtis Jere brass lamp from the ’70s and it was way too expensive (and yet not overpriced – these things run 2k + online). I passed on it the first day but then I kept thinking about it, picturing where it could go, and falling more in love. So I offered a much lower offer and got it (around $700. I KNOW I KNOW IT HURTS TO WRITE THAT).
Table Lamp
Oh, this little guy made their debut perfectly in the corner of the kitchen by the bar. We were even inspired by Chris Loves Julia and cut the cord to be shorter (yes this is a more permanent choice, but it looks perfect in the kitchen corner and if it doesn’t stay there it will go into the pantry, but I felt confident it didn’t need a long cord). This was a bit overpriced at $175, but I honestly didn’t have a tiny lamp for the bar which I wanted and we were shooting in a couple of days. And again – local, vintage, etc, so I talked myself into it quickly. Venmo is VERY DANGEROUS, FRIENDS.
Nautical Oil Lamp Sconces
A pair of nautical wall-mounted oil lanterns with little brass hats to block the smoke!!! How cute are these?!!! Ok, sadly these might have been the mistake – not because they aren’t awesome, but because I can’t seem to find a place for them. I was thinking they could flank the piece of art in the entrance, but the scale is pretty small in there.
Then I thought maybe flanking the entry into the pantry but I foresaw so many tragic accidents, bumping into them (and being glass, full of oil, etc). It’s weird to add more sconces into bathrooms that already have sconces, but then I thought maybe in the kid’s bath behind the tub or in the WC. That’s all to say that I’m still trying to find a spot for them but admittedly they are very specific and I probably should have skipped them until I knew for sure I could use them. Heck, since the other older house on the farm doesn’t have any electricity maybe I’ll install them on the walls of the prop room for nighttime searches (yes, they work but I’m also scared of fires so…. ). Maybe up the stairs mixed in with family photos/art? Stay tuned.
Cool Art Book By Local Artist
I met Purl, a local artist/maker who made these dope book covers for his art book that I thought could be used as art in Charlie’s room (which he LOVED – both kids loved them). Purl also makes custom furniture (like the table and bench below) which likely sold, but we might work together on a few pieces. You can follow in at @total_nonsequitur
The Most Perfect Seascape
I was immediately drawn to this painting for obvious reasons – the colors. The vibe. The beautifully perfect blue and gold frame. I skipped it at first because it was $485. But it was the same dealer as the brass lanterns and the short brass lamp, and the more time I spent in his booth the more I KNEW it would work in the house. I have this other seascape that I’ve had forever (this one that was in our main bath).
I put that painting in the kitchen, on one side of the range and it looked SO GOOD and just appropriate. But I needed something to balance it out on the other side. Once I remembered that (while still shopping) and realized I had the exact spot for it, I could justify the splurge. Since I was buying so much from him he sold it to me for $400. And honestly, after seeing it in the shots (coming soon) it was worth every penny.
Pink Glasses
Now these coupe glasses (or desert cups?) I was unsure about needing or working perfectly on the bar, but for $30 I figured they were worth the risk of not working, and if they did work it meant not needing to buy new. Either way, I knew that Elliot would love to eat ice cream out of them (happy to report they are on the bar and look great).
Vintage Canning Jars
If you know me at all you know that I love vintage jars. A lot. We canned a lot of tuna growing up (not a tradition I will continue) and I started collecting these vintage ones for our wedding 15 years ago for vases/candle holders. These three were just so lovely and even though I had just bought a ton of pantry jars for decanting, these have so much character. They were $10, $15, and $20 (I think, somewhere around that) and I styled them on my kitchen counter for the shoot which looked VERY VERY PRETTY.
A Vintage Blue Salad Bowl
Lastly, from the same vendor as the pink glasses, I found this bowl which I thought would look really pretty styled up in the pantry as well as used for salads on our island, in the sunroom – anywhere. Just a pretty blue color, nice texture, farm-y in the sweetest way.
Here’s the first pic again (sans copy) of them all for scale (and as you can see they all work so well together!).
Obviously, we took super quick iPhone shots for today’s post, which always pains me to publish but I’m sticking to my mantra these days that done is better than perfect! And fun is better than done. 🙂
Love the content, love the pictures, love the items!!!!! Question about vintage items like the salad bowl and tea drawer- any concerns about eating out of vintage pieces or once you clean them all good? I love vintage bowls and plates but have some vague concern about safety… maybe like paint chipping off or the porousness of ceramics? Am I just making up things to worry about ??😂😂
So glad you asked this! I had the same exact question!
https://tamararubin.com/category/vintage-china/
Tamara Rubin has a whole blog about this issue. A lot of old dishes and dishware have lead, cadmium and arsenic, even late 70’s /80’s… If they are not heated its safer, but I would never use heavily painted plates for food. I do have some unsafe dishes but I use them for Christmas dessert once a year and not for kids.
https://tamararubin.com/topics/does-vintage-and-new-functional-pottery-and-dishware-have-unsafe-levels-of-lead/
The tea drawer is fine , its just wood.The great thing about vintage is any offgassing has already occurred. https://www.finewoodworking.com/forum/poison-in-old-finishes. Not sure about the bowl
Tamara Rubin’s blog is quite the rabbit hole and highly illuminating regarding cheap plastic balls as Xmas decor…
https://tamararubin.com/2020/11/hello-im-here-to-ruin-christmas-for-you-do-you-know-how-toxic-your-christmas-decorations-are/
Lead can actually be in wood—the varnish can be super high. (Check out Tamara Rubin as mentioned.)
Wow, Donna J, Tamara’s informative website regarding lead in SO many things is eye opening! Thank you for posting the link!
It’s not just old dishware and lead crystal, it’s in almost all current ceramic, stoneware, porcelain dishware at some level, as well as many glass items and other everyday household items, as I said, eye opening. Very much a worth spending some time learning on it.
I was wondering about lead. Anything made before 1971 could have lead and be a risk to children. Acidic salad dressing would make that worse.
Leaded glass, Lead paint, are all on my mind.
So many people drink alcohol out of new, lead crystal….yes, lead … crystal.
New stuff has lead too because it was made somewhere unregulated in a factory doesn’t necessarily mean it is safe. There are also dangerous toxins in plastic a lot of it from new plastics.
Yes. That’s my point. Vintage AND new items can both contain ingestible toxins.
I think you can overthink these things. I’d be worrying more about climate pollution and our contaminated waterways and beaches than about the ‘perils’ of repurposing and saving these old treasures!
Excited to see these items in the reveals to come! It’s awesome that you have such a great vintage selection in Portland, even if the prices weren’t always on the low side. Cool haul, Emily!
Yes and those oil lamps are nice. If you are worried about functionality , I’d try to get them redone and/ or DIY clean and test them to be safe. Oil lamps treated well are not that dangerous… just practice with them a little bit to build confidence. Here in rural New England oil lamps are a necessity, the first year I moved here we had 5 blackouts in 4 mos. Its easy to buy vintage lamp parts and recondition any parts.
You have such a great eye! Super fun indeed.
I find the honesty on prices super refreshing!! And I totally agree with you on value, those are one-of-a-kind finds that you’d never be able to find somewhere else. I also appreciate the explanations on *why* these pieces work; I didn’t even notice the blue in the frame of the painting until you pointed it out, but that’s such a unique feature that makes it special. And the point on vendors putting so much work into sourcing (and generally not being in it for the money) is right on. The alternative to not paying those prices is that the vendors/shops shut down because they can’t keep their profit margins up, which is not a good outcome for anyone. (I work in economics so don’t jump on the supply/demand analysis here—I just want vintage shops to thrive!)
I agree! 🙂
Those coupe glasses are nostalgic — my mom took us to antique stores all the time when we were growing up. She found a set one year and we’ve been eating ice cream from them ever since! I had forgotten until I saw your pink ones. What fun memories! Thanks for providing the name of them 🥰
We also have frequent power outages and kerosene lamps are a little more romantic than flashlights and candles. We pretend we are living a hundred years ago! (I don’t know how I’d feel about mounting them though — I bring mine out and set them on the table/counter closely supervised.)
Frankly, I almost prefer the iPhone shots to to over-perfected professional shoots!
(Although when Sara shoots, she somehow always captures the actual soul of a room or vignette).
My fav’s are the blue bowl, the drawer set ( magnificent for your teas!) and the floor lamp.
Buuuut, they’re all sooooo good!! 💗💗💗
BTW: Having cut the cord on the table lamp is no biggie coz it’s pretty simple to re-wire a lamp!
I love the vintage – it’s always, always better than new!🤗
I like the iPhone photos very much too Rusty!
They seem so much more immediate, transparent (no or little post production editing) and many cases I can see details better without added light. 🙂 Both types have their uses!
Emily, I love these vintage finds posts — don’t worry about the iPhone pictures. You have such a good eye for detail and I enjoy you bringing us into your process!
So fun! Love this! I am interested in starting to buy more vintage rather than new when I need something, but for a lay-person sometimes it’s hard to know what I’m looking at/what something is worth. Posts like this are super helpful for familiarizing. PLUS everything looks so good together!
Emily, buying a bunch of things for your house, building your house and writing off these expenses as ‘business’ means that you are actually cheating the US government of revenue that they are entitled to. You are depriving the taxpayer of public goods that they are entitled to. You know that this is not solely for your business – this is for your own serotonin !! How can you justify not paying taxes on your total revenue like other businesses do? You should really not be doing this, even if this is technically ‘legal’. I never expected this of you. What a shameful sellout you are.
Her house is literally her source of income as a content producer. She pays taxes on the income generated by the house (e.g. the advertising income from this exact post), not the inputs to that income. It’s not cheating, that’s exactly the way the system was designed to work. Sounds like you need to brush up on your tax code. “To be deductible, a business expense must be both ordinary and necessary. An ordinary expense is one that is common and accepted in your industry. A necessary expense is one that is helpful and appropriate for your trade or business. An expense does not have to be indispensable to be considered necessary.” Separately, the tone of your comment stinks—be more polite next time; if you have questions about what can be reasonably deducted, ask rather than assume.
It’s part of any good business practice to have tax write offs per what your accountant says is legal.
Lots of people have businesses where they get “serotonin hits” from what they do and they still get to use portions as tax right offs (artists, musicians, you name it!).
She helped put vintage on the map which I personally feel is a good thing!!
i was ready the comments after this absolute wonderful post on a beautiful Saturday morning and i was thinking ‘when are the snarky, bitchy comments coming’. And here they are………
I assume, person who is so offended that they hide behind a fake name, that you’ve also left nasty notes for Boeing, Ford, GM, GE, and JPMorgan Chase? You know, since you are so protective of the ‘government’s’ money and EHD is an equal threat to our shared bottom line? I can only imagine that your life is very hard right now to be so angry at a stranger’s use of tax write offs in the event she happens to use a few antiques in the course of her business. Your anger is misdirected.
Are you sending the same messages to politicians who are using their positions and insider knowledge to fleece the government to enrich themselves/families on our dime? Just curious…
I get the feeling this comment is rooted in jealousy, or you’d be spending your time on something worthwhile.
Would you all say the same thing about an influencer who was buying Hermes bags worth $50K and “writing them off” as a business expense? Do you really believe that is what business expense write-offs and the tax code work? Do you think this is the spirit of tax write-offs? If you do then I don’t really have anything to say to you because I honestly have no basis for communication with you.
You can’t say that you *live* in a business and decorate it and buy furniture for it AND write it off as an essential part of the business. If that is what Emily’s tax accountant is telling her she should be very careful.
As for Cris and the other unimaginative commentators who are trying to read intent behind comments – you know that it is possible to be perfectly happy in one’s life and not like someone else’s actions -right? I suggest that you read the comments and respond to the content of the comments, and not try to surmise or guess anything about the commentator, because you might be very very surprised if you knew the truth about people.
Professor, are you a tax professional?
As a stylist, these are assets to her business which are written off either by expensing immediately or by depreciating them, depending on the value of the asset and the deduction options selected by her accountant. These assets have been used to generate revenue for her business (i.e. content generation for the website you are reading right now.) She is working under the tax advice of her accountant and there is no reason for your to shame her for following that professional advice. No business volunteers to take less deductions than they are legally required to by the tax code, and if they do, they are not a well run business as they aren’t protecting the assets of their shareholders.
I AM a tax professional, and I see nothing wrong with her treatment of these assets.
Hoot n Annie awesome, I buy lots of kid clothes there!
When you renovate the original Victorian house, I wonder if you can find a place for the oil lamps there? It’s even historically accurate to have oil lamps in a home that old.
Emily, I was so impressed with your philosophy re: not trying to haggle down vintage vendors, and wishing more people had this perspective when trying to “get a bargain.” Then a couple paragraphs later you say you “offered a much lower offer” for the brass floor lamp and got it. I’m sure the proprietor felt some pressure to accept your low offer, knowing that there’d be a publicity trade-off. And even though it will hopefully pay off for them in the long run, it just feels icky to me that you took advantage in this way. Especially after your earlier comments.
Plus you’re writing these things off anyway. I’m sure that whatever you saved on that lamp means a lot more to the seller than it does to you.
This has me questioning if you’ve ever been to a flea market. Negotiations over price are common there and I’ve never had a vendor have any issues sticking to their bottom line price. Some are clearly “fishing” by throwing out a high price that they really have no expectation of receiving. Do you really think Emily’s mere presence would cause someone who haggles every day as part of their lively hood to suddenly buckle and sell something at a loss? It sounds like you are having a hard time right now and may have lost a sense of perspective here. I hope things get better for you.
I really appreciate your concern Chris, it seems so genuine and heartfelt. Rest assured that I’m doing quite well these days, but thank you for your well wishes! As for my post, It was a direct response to Emily’s own points about not over-haggling. She mentioned that the same lamps so for 2K online. It seemed like a glaring contradiction to me and I was hoping to bring light to it in case she hadn’t considered the fact that her presence as a celebrity probably does, in my opinion, intimidate vendors. You are welcome to disagree, but please spare me the psychoanalysis.✌️
Chris, this has me questioning if you even read the post.
Cris, that is rather offensive to say and assume about someone you don’t know.
Yes!!! Let’s all cancel Cris !! booo boooo
jen, why all the hateful and unhelpful comments on every post. Are you OK?
This post sent me down a rabbit hole of Facebook Marketplace!!!🤣🤣🤣
Heading towards 1am here in Perth Australia…..oops!!
First of all, thank you so much for saying what you did about haggling with vintage sellers. I sell vintage and i HATE HATE HATE when people offer me less than what i price at. I already price my items extremely low. i’m not getting things at thrift store prices, so my profit margin is razor thin. it’s just so rude. if you (not you, Emily) don’t haggle at Target, don’t haggle with me. that’s my take. also, thank you for mentioning all the work that goes into it: “that someone else spent hours sourcing, storing, transporting, wrapping, and unwrapping multiples times”. not to mention, the photographing and writing up if selling online.
Second, i love that blue ceramic bowl (so much) and those pink coupe glasses so much! so fun. also, that sculptural black vase with the frog. great finds. the painting is great too and i bet photographs so well. i can NOT wait until i see your place all styled out!
Third, don’t worry about the iphone pics. they look good to me!
Sincere question – since haggling is fairly standard in vintage selling, why don’t you price your items a bit higher to account for it? Also, do your “razor thin margins” include minimum wage for your time?
Correction: include *at least* minimum wage
Most of these items are way out of my budget but I love to live vicariously through you! The seascape is stunning! I too love jars and have way more than any person reasonably needs. Do you, have fun!
Such beautiful finds, and perfect for your home! 🙂 I love the retail needle chest of drawers you found and great idea to use it for your teas, I found something similar at my local Goodwill this past summer to go on my kitchen counter and I think I will steal your idea for storing teas! The blue bowl is fabulous (swoon worthy color!) lovely costal oil painting (that FRAME!!) the tall, black, sculptural vase – sooo wonderful!! As I have commented on other blog posts, I love reading the stories behind the finds, the why’s and the how’s regarding each choice – it really sharpens my eye and ups my knowledge for when I am out shopping at thrift stores – thank you! A while back, I found a 50’s Penguin Ice Bucket at my favorite Goodwill store shelved with the pots and pans (wrong spot!) and immediately knew what it was from reading a blog post of an office reveal that had one displayed on a shelf in the built in bookcase. I bought it as a gift for my best friend who will love it! 🙂 It was actually the comments from readers who posted links that… Read more »
Whoops! I looked up the post with the comment from the interior designer with the vintage shop, “My New Prop Room” was the post [ https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/emily-hendersons-new-prop-room ]and the commenter was Nicole in Olympia, WA, not Portland :
Nicole Durden
4 DAYS AGO
Speaking as a interior designer who owns a vintage shop (Sound and Vision Living in Olympia WA. Please come visit us!), I would not suggest delving into the in-person retail market space. The pressure to keep up inventory levels is intense! And it is often hard to see a piece you have searched for, haggled over, drove miles for, and probably cleaned for hours, just march out the door after a two minute transaction. Part of me loves sourcing, discovering and admiring all the things, but I have definitely had to figure out a way to not get too attached to stuff.
Just got this at Old Town Antiques in Albuquerque. Have you been to the Blue Door in Santa Barbara? Agree on paying more to reuse precious pieces! We have an old farmhouse in San Luis Obispo that I like to decorate with old stuff!
Don’t regret buying any of the vintage stuff
The reason why thrift stores are full of IKEA and Home Goods is because there isn’t any supply of vintage really like there used to be.
I think those are pink depression glass sherbet? Depression glass used to be very in demand.
The crock bowl is so pretty definitely a good buy all of the vintage stuff should hold it’s value unlike box store stuff
So many treasures! Especially that floor lamp and painting. Can’t wait to see them in the house!
Just wondering…how ‘recent’ is ‘recent’ – ? They are pretty pictures but…this is early November. There haven’t been green vibrant trees and bright ambient sunshine like that anywhere in Portland in a while.
Loved this post!!! iPhone photos look absolutely fine. Really appreciated the price transparency too ❤️
This was so much fun!! Thanks for sharing Emily. Can’t wait for the kitchen reveal!
My favorite posts are thrift haul posts! Thank you Emily for brightening my Sunday morning. Also the Raleigh Hills Hoot-n-Annie is so good!
I NEEEEED that blue bowl!
Similar bowl: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1187427024/antique-primitive-blue-stoneware-pottery?
I have a small vintage business, probably about 10 miles from where Emily lives and was so happy to start reading this post – especially the acknowledgement how hard it is for vintage businesses to make a living; it’s a constant grind and profits are small. This time of year (October through to Christmas) is when business really starts to pick up and will (hopefully) carry us through the lean months. So, the opening of the blog post was reaffirming and it was nice to know that Emily was acknowledging local businesses and giving them credit for the long hours sourcing etc. Then I read down to the brass light she bought from the local (to both of us) consignment store, and how she offered a much lower price for it. How do you reconcile the two statements? How can you begin a blog post saying how much you appreciate everything small business do and will willingly pay (or seemingly overpay?) to support them, and then in the next chapters write that you offered a local neighborhood small business a much lower price?? Consignment stores are the very last place you should negotiate (the consignor already has to give a… Read more »
It’s one thing to low ball someone – trying to haggle when you’re willing to pay the higher price, it’s a very different thing to see something you like but aren’t willing to pay the price for and offer the price you’re willing to pay. The seller then is completely free to tell you no thank you but if they take it it’s clearly a win win. Doing this doesn’t prevent others from coming around and paying full price. It is 100% appropriate to haggle at a flea market or consignment shop and if you don’t you absolutely will be ripped off on occasion.
I don’t know why commentators can’t seem to understand the difference between “I’m going to haggle in case I can get a better price” something Emily is no longer doing much but is totally an okay thing to do and “I can’t justify paying the listed price for this – let me offer what I’m willing to pay.”
With all due respect, Victoria, this seems like a very fine line to draw, especially given that Emily could well afford to pay full price for that lamp. As to Jen’s comment, no one is expecting Emily to be a “saint.” But the blatant hypocrisy within this post is understandably rubbing some the wrong way.
I’m glad you wrote this as your thoughts, words and actions are no doubt 100% congruent and perfect.
Emily is not a Saint, so stop projecting and berating strangers online for not living up to an impossible ideal of a person.
I love the iphone pics! such a nice sneak peak in real life set-ups. The chair socks are so refreshing “real” and unstyled 🙂 just a human who loves and protects her new floor or dislikes the noise on hard surfaces.
Emily! Thank you so much for this article. It was refreshing to have a talented designer like yourself with an excellent knowldge of vintage to stand up for those of us in the trade. There are so many costs associated with being in the vintage business that go unaccounted for such gas, storage costs, shipping materials, platform fees and fees paid as commision to platforms. Our time is often not counted for either such as sourcing time, wash/repair/estimate time, time to write listings, client correspondence and so on and so forth. Thank you for addressing this issue and standing up for us! xMaggie
I had a set of two of those same vintage canisters and I’m obsessed with them. I (stupidly) kept them on the mantle right by the front door and put my extra change in the big one. Well, someone stole it. And I’m still so upset! I could not care less about the $40-odd dollars of change and loose bills, but almost four years later and I’m still grieving the loss of my vintage canister!
Hi Emily! I am loving ALL of these pieces, but prob agree with you that you could have left the sconces. I am in LOVE with that artist! If you don’t mind me asking, since you revealed the cost of the other items if you could tell me what those cost? I really want to order some from him I think but want a heads up to know if it’s even possible money wise, etc. I so love supporting amazing artists who may not be(? ) biggies yet! I love the idea of putting them in the kids room and so cool that they want them! I think you are raising your kids to have such a good eye and cool taste in art! I love that I grew up surrounded by art in my house. I am super visual and I think it aided me in having a good eye, as well as all the art classes I took! Been a super fan since Design Star-have always loved your style and taste! It’s funny, I noticed as I have gotten older my tastes, like yours seems to “tone down” liking some more quiet areas in my apt than I… Read more »
Here you go: https://www.instagram.com/sean_samoheyl/ or https://seansamoheyl.net/book/
Thanks for sharing the price of everything and your reasoning for spending a bit more on some of the items. It really helps keeping a realistic view on finding and buying vintage! The seascape is beautiful!